Unannounced Top 5: Reflections That Spark Conversation
Personal insights and shared perspectives on what it means to live with intention and connection
Welcome to the Unannounced Top 5—a collection of essays that have struck a chord with readers, sparking conversation and connection. Each piece is an invitation to pause, reflect, and explore themes that bridge personal insight and shared human experience.
Organized from introspective to outward-looking, these essays touch on ideas that cross boundaries: vulnerability, intention, community, and purpose. I hope that somewhere in these words, you’ll find something that inspires, resonates, or perhaps even shifts how you see things.
Bearing souls, breaking locks: For those ready to explore the power of vulnerability and the strength it brings to our connections.
Writing about personal experiences requires vulnerability and courage, but it ultimately leads to powerful connections and self-expression. What begins as an intimidating task can evolve into a freeing practice over time. Though often uncomfortable, releasing our innermost thoughts and emotions opens doors to deeper connections and genuine understanding. Through these honest, sometimes messy reflections, we discover strength and invite others to see us as we are. Vulnerability can dissolve barriers and nurture meaningful, authentic relationships in its purest form.
🔮Read if: You’ve ever wondered about the power of sharing your personal stories or if you’re looking for the courage to be vulnerable in a world that often feels uncomfortable with raw honesty. This essay is for you if you're ready to open up and connect with others through your reflections.
The art of living deliberately: For those ready to break free from autopilot mode and embrace life with intention and purpose.
Last year, I realized that my life’s direction has often been guided not by my intentions but by my responses to circumstances around me. Determined to change this, I sought out people who embrace life purposefully, and then I discovered filmmaker Kariza Santos. Kariza embodies intentional living through her YouTube channel, showing how a proactive, resilient approach can shape one’s journey. From her, I’ve learned how commitment to creativity, embracing challenges, and persevering through uncertainty can transform passive existence into a deliberate way of living.
🔮Read if: You’re seeking inspiration to live with more intention or wondering how to move from a passive to a proactive mindset in shaping your life.
Homebound: For those who wonder if personal growth can flourish within the comfort and familiarity of home.
When I wrote this, I needed to reflect on the modern-day obsession with the idea that personal growth can only be found by traveling or living in new places—a notion often fueled by social media’s glamorization of the “digital nomad” lifestyle. Through the lens of my own experiences—living in the same city for a decade after spending a year abroad in Germany as a teenager—I explore the idea that growth can also happen at home. Personal development isn’t limited by location but can flourish through human connection, self-awareness, and finding meaning in familiar routines and places.
🔮Read if: You're curious about redefining exploration beyond travel and finding growth within the life you’ve already built.
Take the bus: For those who appreciate the quiet connections in everyday encounters with strangers.
After experiencing a failed pickpocket attempt on a crowded bus, I came to view public transport as a place of 'every man for himself.' But one day, a small gesture from a bus driver shifted my perspective, revealing the beauty of strangers traveling together in the same direction yet headed to different destinations. On the bus, brief encounters and quiet kindnesses create a unique sense of community, reminding us that even in transient spaces, we’re connected. Each ride becomes a moment to see how we're brought together in our separate journeys, if only for a while.
🔮Read if: You’re intrigued by the unexpected connections that can form among strangers in everyday places or if you’re seeking a reminder of the quiet ways we share our journeys, even when headed in different directions.
The power of the humanities in shaping tomorrow’s world: For those who believe in the enduring value of the humanities as guides through our most challenging times.
Drawn to the humanities in a world that prioritizes technology and STEM, I’ve often felt torn between what truly resonates with me and what society deems practical. This essay explores how, even as humanities programs face cuts and skepticism, subjects like literature, history, and philosophy offer invaluable skills for understanding the world and addressing its challenges. Despite being sidelined, the humanities foster critical thinking, empathy, and ethical perspective—qualities that are urgent today. In a society increasingly driven by data, I believe the humanities' human-centered focus is more vital than ever.
🔮Read if: You’re looking for a fresh perspective on why art, history, and philosophy are essential for the future or if you feel something crucial is missing in a world focused solely on technological progress.
I hope you find something here that resonates with you, inspires you, or invites you to see the world differently. Let me know which topics interest you the most. If you’re not yet a subscriber to Unannounced but would like to receive essays like these in your inbox, subscribe below.
–Catalina
Catalina, your reflections are like a Hopper painting (my favorite painting btw). Subtle yet loaded with life’s quiet intricacies.
I especially loved the way you reframed buses and home as arenas for growth. it’s like you’re turning overlooked corners into cathedrals of meaning.
I also love how you remind us that intention and connection aren’t grand gestures but steady pulses we can tune into..
If Edward Hopper ever wrote essays, I think he’d restack this in a heartbeat.
love this, especially the art of living deliberately!